In a nutshell

This study investigated the overall survival rates of people with breast cancer who were treated with either palbociclib (Ibrance) plus fulvestrant (Faslodex), or just fulvestrant. The study found that the patients who received both palbociclib and fulvestrant had a longer overall survival compared to the group who only received fulvestrant.

Some background

Breast cancer may have receptors (HER2/ER/PR) on certain tumors that respond to treatment. Using drugs palbociclib and fulvestrant together to treat breast cancer is common. Studies suggest that using both of these medications together will result in a longer overall survival.

Methods & findings

This study consisted of 521 patients. All of these patients had hormone-receptor positive HER2 negative breast cancer. All of the patients had advanced breast cancer, and all became unresponsive to other treatments. The patients were randomly assigned to receive treatment with palbociclib and fulvestrant (345 patients) or just fulvestrant (172 patients). Treatment times varied between the patients.

On average, the patients in the palbociclib and fulvestrant group survived for 35 months after treatment. The patients in the fulvestrant only group survived for 28 months on average. Some of the patients had been previously treated with a similar therapy. Among them, the same trend was seen. Survival was better in the group who received both medicines as opposed to the group who only received fulvestrant.

The bottom line

The authors concluded that treating advanced breast cancer with both palbociclib and fulvestrant instead of just fulvestrant results in longer survival overall.

The fine print

This study is medium sized and supports other findings in the area.

What’s next?

Discuss with your oncologist if adding palbociclib to your treatment is an option.

Published By :

The New England Journal of Medicine

Date :

Oct 20, 2018

Original Title :

Overall Survival with Palbociclib and Fulvestrant in Advanced Breast Cancer.